The present invention relates to tools for removing stones from stone fruits, such as pitters and de-stoners. Such tools are generally used in residential kitchens, restaurants, and industrial food processing or handling applications. More specifically, the present invention relates to such a tool intended for use in pitting or de-stoning peaches, nectarines, plums and similar fruit.
The removal of pits, seeds, piths, or stones (hereinafter referred to as “stones”) from the center of pitted fruit (hereinafter referred to as “pitting”) traditionally requires cutting the fruit into pieces then manually removing the stone. In instances where a large quantity of pitted fruit must be prepared, removal of the stones can be cumbersome, messy, and/or tedious.
Cherry pitters are known for high-volume applications or in instances where the appearance of the cherry must be maintained. Cherry pitters generally employ a driver reciprocated in an axial direction, meaning through the longitudinal axis of a cherry from a stem end to an opposite bottom end, and a bottom member for holding the cherry in place. The driver pushes the seed out of the cherry and through a hole in the bottom member. Residential kitchen-use cherry pitters generally resemble a pair of pliers with a similar operation. Such residential pitters employ the reciprocating member extending from one plier jaw end and a cup-like member to hold the cherry on the other plier jaw end. Commercial cherry pitters utilize several drivers driven by a crank and a feeding system to allow for fast, high-volume pitting according to a similar operational principle.
As opposed to cutting out pits with a knife, cherry pitters allow for easy removal of the seed while maintaining the outer appearance of the cherry. Stone fruits, however, generally contain large stones with surfaces that are not smooth. Moreover, many stone fruits have clingstones that bind to the inner flesh of the fruit. The binding of the stones within the fruit and the rough surface of the stones prohibits the use of known seed pitters that push the pits out of the fruit. The problems with pitting stone fruit have deterred foodservice, institutional, and household users from using these fruits in recipes and other preparations. Removal of the stone prior to slicing the fruit would allow for easier subsequent slicing of the fruit along a variety of section lines or stuffing of the cavity while maintaining a consistent look of the fruit.
Stone pitters such as peach pitters are known in the art. Cannery workers typically use tools shaped like a spoon with a sharp, pointed end similar to a grapefruit spoon. Peach pitters allow users to dig out the stone from the stem end of the fruit. The use of such pitting tools often damages the flesh of the fruit.
Another disadvantage of such tools is lack of control of the amount of flesh removed. Conventional peach pitting tools often require the user to cut away excess flesh to access and remove the stone. Moreover, such labor-intensive tools are time-consuming and cumbersome.
Due to the problems mentioned above, there is a need for an easy-to-use, safe stone remover that allows for extraction of a stone while avoiding waste of flesh or cosmetic damage to the fruit.